In his greetings in front of the press Orbán thanked Putin for receiving him “even under these difficult circumstances”. He said Hungary was “slowly becoming the only country in Europe” that could speak to both warring sides.
Orbán said he wanted to make use of this situation to discuss important matters with the Russian president and to gauge his stance on issues that are important for Europe. Commenting on the impending closed-door part of the meeting, Putin said he hoped “that we will have the opportunity to exchange views on building bilateral relations in this difficult situation and, of course, to talk about the prospects for the development of the biggest European crisis, I mean in the Ukrainian direction”. Regarding finding a solution to the crisis in Ukraine, Putin added: “Of course, I am ready to discuss the details with you regarding this issue and I expect that you will also outline the position of your European partners.” He also touched on bilateral ties, regretting that trade turnover was down 35%. “All in all, we have work to do and we will realise the projects,” he added.